Ravenous Creature (CR +1)

A ravenous creature, sometimes called an eater of flesh, is a humanoid upon whom the spirit of cannibalism has descended, transforming him into a wild-eyed and ferocious animal with a thirst for blood and raw flesh. A person so possessed loses all humanity, and undergoes disfiguring transformations. His fingers become gnarled and tipped with vicious talons, and his teeth become as sharp as the fangs of a wolf. The most terrifying change, however, occurs in the eyes. The eyes of a ravenous creature are wide and wild, showing none of the human spirit that once resided there. There is no compassion, no soul, and no emotion other than an undying rage and hunger. Nothing fully sates the appetite of a ravenous creature, and he constantly scours the wilderness for raw meat. A ravenous creature voraciously devours any fresh meat he can find or kill—particularly humanoid flesh.

A ravenous creature cannot be reasoned with, and pleas from friends and family do not make it through the rage and hunger to sway the ravenous creature from his quest. Even if the pleas of his victims did register in the mind of a ravenous creature, there would be no vestige of the person that once occupied it. That person’s soul has been consumed and lost forever.

Becoming a Ravenous Creature

Any humanoid or monstrous humanoid that willingly consumes the flesh of another creature of the same type may unlock the hidden animal within. Some cultures see the ravenous creature as an evil spirit that possesses those that break the horrible taboo of cannibalism, but being a ravenous creature is more a state of mind than of possession.

An individual wishing to become a ravenous creature must slay a humanoid creature with its bare hands or a light slashing weapon and consume the entirety of its flesh within 6 hours. Additionally, the creature must drink the blood of the one it killed while reciting the text of the “Ritual of Becoming.”

Within 1d6 days of completing the ritual, the individual undergoes the painful transformation into a ravenous creature. This process takes an entire night, during which time the victim’s mind is destroyed and flooded thoughts of madness, of flesh, and of blood. Only during this time can the transformation be stopped. A greater restoration, miracle, or wish spell cast on the victim prevents the transformation. Once the sun rises on the new ravenous creature, he is forever lost.

Creating a Ravenous Creature

“Ravenous” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid of Small to Large size (hereafter referred to as the “base character”). It uses all the base character’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Senses: A ravenous creature gains darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If the base character already possesses darkvision, increase its range by +50% (multiply its current range by 1–1/2). A ravenous creature also gains low-light vision and scent.

Armor Class: The base character gains a natural armor bonus of +6. A ravenous creature instinctively strips off all armor, gear, and clothing to rid itself of confinements. If the base character already has a natural armor bonus use it or the bonus above, whichever is better.

Hit Dice: Same as base character. Humanoids that become monstrous humanoids change their HD type to d10s.

Defensive Abilities: A ravenous creature is completely immune to all fear effects and gains resistance to cold 5 and resistance to electricity 5.

Attacks: A ravenous creature gains 2 claw attacks and a bite attack. Ravenous creatures do not use ranged weapons or melee weapons, however; they are completely animalistic, attacking only with their claws and teeth. The claw and bite attacks of a ravenous creature deal damage based on their size as described in the table below. If a ravenous creature already has claw or bite attacks, it uses the damage for whichever is better.

Size

Claw Damage

Bite Damage

Small

1d3

1d4

Medium

1d4

1d6

Large

1d6

1d8

Special Attacks: A ravenous loses the special attacks and class abilities of the base character. The ravenous gains the following special attacks:

Primal Scream (Ex)

A ravenous creature can, as a standard action, emit a powerful howl of savage fury that can be heard to a distance of two miles. Any animal that hears this scream tries to move out of the area using the quickest and most direct means possible. A successful Handle Animal check (DC 10 + 1/2 the ravenous creature’s HD + the ravenous creature’s Charisma modifier) calms the animal. Intelligent creatures with fewer HD than the ravenous creature that are within 300 feet must make a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the ravenous creature’s HD + the ravenous creature’s Charisma modifier) or become panicked for 2d4 rounds. This is a sonic-mind affecting fear effect. Whether or not the save is successful, an affected creature is immune to the primal scream of that ravenous for one day. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Rage (Ex)

A ravenous creature that suffers damage in combat has a 50% chance of flying into a berserk rage in the next round, attacking until either it or its opponent is dead. While raging, a ravenous gains Str +4, Con +4, and AC –2. It cannot end its rage voluntarily. It does not suffer any ill effects when its rage is ended.

Skills: A ravenous creature loses most memories of his past life, and therefore retains none of the base character’s skill points. A ravenous creature’s skill points are calculated as follows: 1 x (HD). Only Perception, Stealth, and Survival are class skills for a ravenous creature.

Special Qualities: A ravenous creature loses the special qualities and class abilities of the base character (including any bonuses for favored class).